Jeff and Sharon's Travel Blog

We woke up early. We had our leftover honeybuns from Target and drank the last half gallon of orange juice. Sharon dutifully made our sandwiches as the Road to Hana had very limited food selections and all expensive.

As I loaded the car I noticed two people hanging around my rental car. I am usually paranoid about getting robbed or having my car broken into. They just keep talking as I loaded more and more stuff in the car.

Then they seemed to follow me into the hotel. But instead they opened up a walled partition showing the coffee shop next door. They were there to get the shop ready, and couldn’t get in until the person with the key showed.

We actually hit the road at around 6:09AM, much before any of the crowds. We were going down the narrow winding road to Hana. Our guide was Gypsy App Sharon had purchased before our trip. The app has access to our location and tells us when to turn.

Paia was the town we stayed in. And come to find out there isn’t much at all to the town. Just

It was an early morning for us today because we wanted to pack up the car and get started on…

We slept until around 7:30 this morning, then ate honey buns and orange juice before driving to the summit of…

We awoke somewhat early, but slept in just a little bit longer so that we could enjoy our last day to sleep in. The menu was honey buns and OJ. Previously we had gotten a gallon of OJ at Target. I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to drink it all, but sure enough as a write this, we have half a gallon left for tomorrow’s breakfast.

We headed out to Haleakala, a dormant volcano. Going up the mountain you could really see the change in vegetation as we drove up the switchbacks to the National Park. Cattle roamed free close to the road without a fence.

I woke up early this morning. We had to catch a 9:17AM fight to Maui and we were an hour away from the airport. I was too tired to pack the night before. Our freshly washed clothes lay in the sofa unfolded. I showered and then ate the donut holes and fruit juice I got the evening before.

As I packed my clothes and souvenirs I began to wonder if all of it would fit, but sure enough it did all fit, but I made a mental note: no more souvenirs…or at least no more big souvenirs.

We began our journey at around 6AM. I turned in my key to the resort staff (24 hour front desk). We crossed into the suburbs of Princeville with well manicured grass done by lawn care specialists who couldn’t afford to live there. I stopped to take a photo of the $150 fine to anyone parking on the street. It might have been targeted to those beachgoers who need a place to park,

We woke before sunrise to leave Princeville by 6:00 to be sure to catch our flight to Maui. Along the…

We were a little sad to leave Lihue this morning because we are that much closer to the end of…

After a nice stay at Kauai Palms Hotel it was time for us to check out and travel to the north part of the island to Kauai. We had a nice breakfast of bacon, eggs, and leftover pineapple. We packed up, turned in our key and headed to the Red Hibiscus, souvenir store in Lihue.

While Sharon sat in the parking lot in our rented Jeep, I walked up into town to take photos. The old Lihue movie theater had been turned into a senior living facility, but they had left the neon marque with “Live Aloha” written on it. Posters from movies like “The Terminator,” “Vertigo,” and “Titanic” were prominately displayed in the “Now Showing” section of the theater lineup.

Outside of the movie theatre there was a homeless person temporarily residing nearby. Homeless in Hawaii had become a common theme throughout our stay. Housing seems to have become unaffordable for the po

Again we woke up too early because we are on Tennessee time, but today we were able to get back…

After a hearty breakfast of eggs and bacon, we went to the Kauai museum today. It is near the county municipal buildings. Outside was the usual flock of chickens.

Inside we learned how Kauai was the last island conquered by King Kamehameha. Eventually the King of Kauai was forced to pay tribute to Kamehameha to remain as a figurehead king on the Island.

We also learned how brothers and sister intermarried to increase “Mana” which could be seen as power or karma or a little of both. Children of this incestuous relationship were considered Godlike and whatever object their shadow was cast on was destroyed.

There were also special sections for surfers and World War II. World War II did mention the Japanese internment camp during the war and how martial law was declared in Kauai. In short travel was